Nonfoods

CARLISLE, Pa. -- Customers and employees at Giant Food Stores, LLC and Martin's Food Markets contributed in record amounts to help Children's Miracle Network hospitals in their communities, via the grocery chains' recently concluded annual "Candles for Kids" in-store holiday campaign: A total of $500,000 was raised to help hospitalized kids throughout the Ahold banners' operating areas.

CHICAGO -- Mintel Menu Insights, a national restaurant-tracking service based here, has identified eight key American menu trends for 2008. "Everyone's looking for the next breakthrough item, the next mini-burger appetizer, mojito or pomegranate flavor," says Maria Caranfa, director of Mintel Menu Insights. "This year, we expect to see new twists on already popular items, giving people more flavors and options for the foods they love. Restaurants will get more creative with foods and preparation techniques as they attempt to cater to American's evolving tastes."

MINNEAPOLIS -- More than 197 billion pages containing 257 billion consumer offers were delivered through Free Standing Insert (FSI) coupons in Sunday newspapers during 2007, according to the Marx Promotion Intelligence 2007 FSI Distribution Trends Report, released yesterday by Marx Promotion Intelligence here. These FSI coupons represented more than $320 billion in consumer incentives.

NEW YORK -- Quick & Simple magazine has named the winners of its 2nd annual New Product Awards, which will appear in the Jan. 29, 2008 issue of the weekly consumer magazine published by Hearst Corp.

MINNEAPOLIS - Supervalu Inc. here said it has created a new position of vice president, food safety, and filled it with a microbiologist with deep food manufacturing experience: John Hanlin, most recently General Mills' director of microbiology and thermal process/quality and regulatory operations.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Publix Super Markets, Inc. here, along with consumer attorney Andrew Rainer and Northeastern University Professor Tim Howard, said yesterday that the chain has settled in the case of a Florida consumer concerned about the potential formulation of benzene in cans of Publix Diet Lemon Lime soft drinks.

WILMINGTON, Del. - Getting more fresh fruits and vegetables on foodservice menus is the goal behind a collaborative effort between the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) based here and the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).

LONDON - Tesco Plc this week has expanded the deployment of its global sourcing solution to include a range of non-food categories including clothing, consumer electronics, and household goods.